Marino, Csonka, Wade – ranking our Top 50 athletes

Is LeBron too low at No. 4? Or is he too high?

July 13, 2013|Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel Columnist

Dan Marino is No. 1.

Larry Csonka is No. 2.

No questions, right? They belong at the top of South Florida's Greatest Athlete list, right? Marino cackled with a football electricity that won games, sold tickets and defined a new city. Csonka was the rugged face of the Glory Years of the '70s when the Dolphins put a national stamp on the region.

Dwyane Wade is No. 3.

LeBron James is No. 4.

Here the debate begins. And it begin with LeBron. Some will say he's too high since he's played with the Heat only three years. Some will say he's low considering his formidable feats in that time and the fact no one has been more athletic.

Chris Evert is No. 5.

Bob Griese is No. 6.

Let the debate run wild now. How do you weigh individual athletes like Evert, who belonged to the world, against team-sport Hall of Famers like Griese, who played on the definitive South Florida franchise?

What? Hendricks is the first University of Miami athlete on the list? A guy from the mid-1960s? Calm down. He's the only Miami player to be named All-America three straight years – in other words, every year he was eligible.

This brings up who isn't on the list. Ray Lewis, for example. He might be the best defensive player in NFL history. But the rule of the list is college players were graded only by what they did in college.

Lewis was great in college. A three-year starter. All-America his final, junior season. But he didn't make the cut. Who else didn't? The Marlins' Josh Beckett, the pitching hero of the 2003 World Series.

There's the other debate. But ignore your beating heart and look at the cold, dry numbers. Beckett won more than nine games just once in his five seasons with the Marlins. He was 2-2 that 2003 post-season (though with a 2.11 ERA).

He pitched a shut out in Yankee Stadium, his second win in the series, to seal the title. Does one legendary moment get you in the room? Not when I'm the doorkeeper. Which tells how tough the cut is.

Tim Hardaway is No. 21.

Miguel Cabrera is No. 22.

Cabrera is the first Marlin on the list. John Vanbiesbrouck is the first Panther at No. 27. Rick Barry is the only University of Miami basketball player at No. 24. Sanya Richards is the top Olympian at No. 15.

And there's a horse, Cigar, at No. 38.

Debating the greatest ever in a region is something like figuring the greatest ever in a sport. It's a fool's errand. There is no greatest ever when you weigh eras, positions, teams, opponents and changes to the game. But it's fun to debate.

Ted Williams, the great Boston baseball player, said his one goal was to walk down the street and have people say, "There goes Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived."

Williams wasn't better than Barry Bonds, was he? Sports sparks conversation like that. Sports is a conversation, mainly, if you're not on the field. What player is better? Which championship was more exciting? Who are the Top 50 players in South Florida sports history?

Doug Betters is No. 49.

Bennie Blades is No. 50.

Poor Udonis Haslem. The three-time NBA champion and part of the Heat's fabric just misses the cut. He's No. 51. At least on my list.